16 MÅRCH I (,. I ,.t, terrific turnover; but they would work for a mere pIttance and there would always be new applicants. Probably a good idea would be to have the main body of the work done by waterpower, just to make sure. shot to death in a fight with bandits (the son was then six), but the most important, as affecting his career, hap- pened at the Metropolitan and was brough t about largely by a misunder- standing. Tibbett was singing the rôle of Ford in Verdi's "Falstaff" and, after the act in which his aria oc- curred, surprisingly failed to come out alone for his bow. Signals had got mixed and Scotti, the Falstaff, came out in- stead. The audience, excited by a departure from decorous precedent, clamored for Tibbett and, when he did appear alone, gave him one of the most noteworthy ovations in the opera house's history. The news of the un- usual emotional outbreak reached the front pages of the papers, and Tibbett was made. Yet so little was his face known to Metropolitan audiences that a Sunday or so later, at a concert there, when he was indisposed and Schuetzen- dorf sang in his place, the audience thought Schuetzendorf was Tibbett and broke forth into another demon- stration. from managers who, a week before his big ovation, had turned him down. Now he has toured the country, sung to great crowds, and been called "The Abraham Lincoln of Song." He has remained modest. He isn't a snob about music, but has the courage of his own convictions. One is that "Old Man River" already deserves a place as a national song, and he says so before singing it as an encore on occasions when he gives a group of national songs of various coun tnes. Tibbett went to high school in Los Angeles, and was a sailor in the navy during the war, during which time he is reported to have knocked out, in offi- cial Marquess of Queensberry combat, another sailor who had jeered at him for singing classical songs. He is a diligen t gymnast, has won prizes at swimming, and has an ambition to climb Mount Rainier. His favorite exercise is walking on his hands. He does it at home and in secluded corners of Central Park in fine weather. He believes the rush of blood to the head good for his voice. It is said that at "- the dress rehearsal of eeJ onny Spielt Auf," with Tibbett looking on, Boh- nen, who had been chosen to sing the principal rôle at the opening perform- ance, concealed all of his be')t tricks so that the other baritone wouldn't get them in case something happened and Tibbett opened in the rôle. When Tibbett did go ", "...øn into the rôle, later on, he had at least one trick Bohnen hadn't Pied Piper B EFORE the Coolidge silence tra- dition go utterly boom boom in the face of the dollar-a-word rate, we rush into print with this story of the good old days. The ex-PresIdent, then governor of Massachusetts, was visit- ing a business office on some business or other, when a mouse appeared, scurried across the floor, leaped over the governor's foot, and vanished un- der a desk. He watched it silently and ruminated for a minute. "'Pears to have been a mouse," he observed. Fame and Mr. Tibbett T AWRENCE TIBBETT, of the Metro- L politan, is just past thirty but he has had his moments. One of them was when Congressman Nicholas Longworth played the young baritone's accompaniment at a club concert, an- other when his twin sons were born, another was the tragic moment when his father, a sheriff in California, was H IS previous career had not been much-singing in light opera, church choirs, movie houses, and the like. 'rhe Metropolitan engaged him at a small salary. After his quick success he did not get an immediate raise, but he got a thousand dollars a concert /" ,''>'. ,::r ': '; 44Þ :; " ...:::':., "9", :. f ; ;:. '::':'" " ,:"' '. '. : ' :,: : ' :::",:, ,: m ",:", x ". : , : , ::: . ' , :: " : 3 ' , ' , :; : :: r::t : ' " p , rt.:. , :: . :p , ' , "" . x , ,:, , ',x: , :, : " ' , : , " '. _, '" , '.' ' .', ,'". , .;_: ' '0 . '. , .. :: :::::;::= ":':'::{gr: :::::: :::\ß::::: t:,>" '.. tl' f:' ,[ 't: ) ):ð. ?f:-: \; .:.:.,.. ,::::. : : r <If%tlr- /Ii" :" f.':" @ Wi 'N...... '.' , ..."v ,. . :' Y.I' ,^"'o(. '.' ,,^,' "... - .. ' , . . , " ' , .. rtì f (';]' :::....:....--- ,,' ; . A\. '$ .1", \ ,-" '.' \ ", :..";:0':"'::\ , =iitr . _u ..... " , Y' :: '; , :f* , , : ; :, ;,., : , : ,, , : , : , ' : , :" .>;t . .: _ , ,, ,:, ,J.:;: !: \/<' ' / :,:' ,:"' ", " '\ ,', .. y. w. . .'. ..:-;....%_. '" ..'f.'-. -;'.' . .' ',.. ,.,){ .'.'. , :;;, >: f'. , ' ", ,'. 1f ..'!Þffi '" '. , · ',{"...< ',k ii A { \tt;\:t j' J; , : ; .: ;ii)i";'{>::':':fraid Huntley is finding '/ " ..:,!,::><> "" the syn bolis1n a little obscure.') ., ,v;:.:::- ;" .' ,' .: . ,; ..-::."';-.:; '" ;t;-t:=', . )( .:. ::-:, : :C:: . \ ' J .... I ' :, .'( ' 1f. :, ,,<, > } k,,'::Æð (:';:'. .::.. :': ' :: ' ,f. =",: ',::,A :, ::t:: : .i /'" .'. 1} t{ í, '.' =0..:>> , ':x: .. -", ';: ).:;: